Land vehicles are tested for crashworthiness by a variety of tests including frontal impacts, side impacts, rear impacts, roll-over and other tests. Frontal impact tests were previously developed that specified that a vehicle impacts a barrier between the frame rails that extend longitudinally relative to the vehicle. In this type of test, the frame rails provided the primary support for the vehicle body.
An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Small Offset Rigid Barrier (SORB) test simulates small overlap frontal crashes against a rigid barrier. In the proposed test, the vehicle impacts a rigid barrier having a six inch pole-like radius on one corner with a 40% overlap at 40 MPH. The impact is outboard of the frame rails and the frame rails provide minimal resistance to intrusion into the passenger compartment.
The front tire may be deflected inboard in a small offset impact and toward the passenger compartment because the impact is non-symmetrical in that it is applied to only one side of the vehicle. The wheel and tire assembly (hereinafter the “wheel”) is secured to the vehicle to be able to pivot to make turns which makes the front wheel subject to being deflected in a collision.
These and other problems are addressed by this disclosure as summarized below.